If you’ve ever done business at a conference or trade show, you know the challenge:  striking up conversations with complete strangers, qualifying them as potential customers, and leaving a credible impression in a short amount of time, so they’ll remember you after they’ve returned to their office.   I’ve never been speed-dating, but I suspect similar skills apply.

To be successful, you’ll need to make the most of a short encounter by asking good questions, listening carefully to the answers, and managing the conversation toward a desired outcome, while establishing yourself as trustworthy, credible and memorable.

I recently spent three days at a conference in Las Vegas.  It was an opportunity to observe the tactics of salespeople from dozens of competing companies, and how they approached and engaged with potential customers.   But it wasn’t until I left the actual conference that I had a chance to observe a true master of the brief encounter.  It was the bellman that ran the taxi stand, in front of the Mirage Hotel. 

There were about forty hotel guests standing in line waiting for taxis, and a line of taxis awaiting the guests.  The bellman would signal for a cab, then turn to the next guest in line, and begin a 15 to 20 second conversation.  He’d ask short, non-intrusive questions – interesting questions – that his guests would gladly answer.  He’d immediately ask another question, based on the guests’ response.   These conversations were short, but extremely engaging for both the bellman and the guests.

By the time each guest was seated inside their cab, they were offering the bellman salient bits of information about themselves, their lives and businesses.  With a span of less than a minute, the bellman learned a lot about each guest, and established enough rapport to induce them to share personal information with a virtual stranger.  In fact, each person appeared enamored by the bellman’s genuine interest in them.  I had no doubt that if he were working the conference floor inside the hotel that he’d walk away with a high number of qualified leads.

How well do you and your salespeople manage and execute these trade-show encounters?  Do you plan for them in advance, or do you leave them to chance?   Trade shows and conferences can consume a lot of a marketing budget, so what can you do to maximize your return on conferences?  It comes down to advance planning.

The planning shouldn’t be the exclusive domain of marketing.  Your sales team should also invest time preparing for the event.  Find out what companies will attend the conference.   As a paying exhibitor, you may have access to a list of the companies that will be represented.  Go to their websites, and understand their value propositions, and the common challenges in their industries.   Read their press releases, and other news items.  Understand their current circumstances that may be impacted by your offering.   Know who you’ll want to seek out at the event, and identify a reason to meet.

Contact attendees before the conference to introduce yourself, and to schedule a meeting.   I once worked for a VP of Sales who made it a privilege to attend a conference, and awarded those sales people that had the most confirmed meetings a week before the event, with the right to attend.   It was no coincidence our trade shows were extremely successful events, yielding high numbers of qualified leads. 

When you’re at the conference, always make it a point to be where your best prospects will be.  Review the agenda, and identify those sessions whose topics are likely to be of interest to your ideal prospects; sessions that will focus on the business challenges that are addressed by your solution.  Go to those sessions, and engage with the other attendees.  Put yourself in the right place to ask the right questions to the right people.  You’ll be more apt to leave the conference with a higher quantity of qualified leads.

Trade shows and conferences are opportunities to meet a lot of potential customers in a short amount of time.   With some advance planning and thoughtful questioning, you can be the one that the prospects remember.   And you’ll have plenty of good news for the bellman, as you leave the hotel.